Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1887-09-17
CHAPTER XII.
THE r1,owNryG CRY.

For an hour or more sat waiting (Uni-
slopognas having meanwhile gone to sleep
alsoa,, till ut length the east turned gray and
huge misty shapes moved over the surface OF
the water like ghosts Of long forgotten dawns.
They were the vapors rising from their
watery bed to greet the sun. Then the gray
turned to primrose, and the primrose grew tc
red. Next, glorious bars OF light sprang up
across Tho eastern sky, and through them the
radiant messengers OF the dawn came speed
ing upon their nrrowy way, scattering tho
ghostiy vapors and awaking tho mountains
with kiss, as they few from range to range
and longitude to longitude Another mo
ment, and the golden gates were open, and
the sun himself came forth as bridegroom
from his charnber, with pomp and glory and
flashing ns of 100000 spears, and en-
braced the night and covered her with bright
ness, and it was day.
But ns yet could see nothing save the
beautiful blue sky above; for over the water
was thick layer Of mist exactly as though
the whole surface had been covered with
pillows of cotton wool. BY degrees, however,
the sun sucked up the mists, and then saw
that we were aaoat upon glorious sheet
of blue water, of which / could not make out
the shore Some eight OF ten miles behind
us. however, there stretched as far as the eye
could reach a range OF precipitous hills that
formed retaining wall of the lake, and !
have 10 doubt but that it was through some
entrance in these hills that the subterranean
river found Its why into sne open water. In
deed, afterwards ascei tanned this to he the
fact, and it viii be some indication of the
extraordinary strength and directlcss OF the
current of the mysterious river that the
canoe, even at this distance, was still answer
ing to it. Presently, too, j, or rather Umslo-
pogaas, who woke up Just then, discovered
another indication. and a very unpleasant
one it was. Percciving some whitish object
upon the wat,r, Umsopogaas called my
attention to 1t, and with few strokes Of the
paddle brought the canoe to the spot, where
upon we discovered that the object was the
body ora man floating face downward. This
was bad enough, but imagine my horror
when Umslopogaas having turned him on to
his back with the paddle we recognized inthe
sunken features the lineaments of--wlom
do you supposed Nome other than our
poor servant who had heon sucked down
two days before III the waters Of the sub
terranean river. II quite frightened me-
thought that we had left him behind forever;
and behold! borne BY tho current, lie had
made the awful journey with us, and with IFS
had reached tho end. Ills appearance also
was dreadful, for 10 boro traces of having
touched the pillar of flre-ote nrm being
completely shrivelel up. and all his hair
being burnt Of The features were, as
have said, sunlScn, and yet they preserved
upon them that awful look Of despair that
had seen upon his living face as the poor fel-
low was sucked down. Really the sight I'M
nerved me, weary and shaken as felt with
all that we had gone through, and was
heartily glad, when suddenly, and without
any warning, the body began to sink just as
though it had had a mission, witch having
been accomplished, it RETIRED the real reason,
no doubt, being THAT turning it OH its back,
allowed free passage to the gas. Down it
went into the transparent dcptls--fnthoni
after fathom we could trace its course, till at
last long line Of bright air bubbles, swiftly
chasing each other to the surface, alone re-
manned where 10 had passed. At length
these too were gone, md that was I'm end Of
our poor servant Unslopogaas thoughtfulIy
watched the body vanish.
aWhat did he follow us for?r he asked.
g IT'S an III omen for thee and me, Macuma-
zahn.n And he laughed. tfhio Ags
turned oil him angrily, for dislike these
unpleasant suggestions If people have such
ideas they ought in common decency to keep
them to themselves detest individuals who
make one the subject OF their disagreeable
prcsentiments, or who, when they dream that
they saw one hanged as u common feIon, or
some such horror, viii insist upon telling one
all about it at breakfast, even IL they have to
get up early to do 1t hilH A'is
Just then, however, the others woke up and
began to rejoice exceedingly at finding that
we were out of that dreadful river and ono.
more beneath thoiblle sky. 9i ll-1i
When we had been sailing for TN hour
Good, who was searcliiS2 the horizon with
a spyglass, suddenly announced joyfully that
he saw land, aud pointed ort that, from tho
change in the color Of the water, be thought
we must be approaching the mouth Of q
river. IN another minute we perceived n
great golden dome. not unlike that OF st.
Paul's, piercing the morning mists, and while
we were wondering what in tie world II could
be, Good reported another ami still moro i'm.
portant discovery, namely, that small sail.
ing boat was advan ling toward u.s. This b.,
Of news, which we Scre very shor.3y able 10